Go Ahead and JUMP!

I finally caught Shelby on video "jumping". It cracks me up every time! She is getting such a cute personality and is constantly making us laugh. She's really trying to start talking and can say a few words--duck, dog, up, bubble, mama, dada, hot, yum, yes, and Jeff. Of course, I'm the only one that understands her!

Haley is getting bigger, weighing in at 12 pounds at her two month doctor's visit. She still only sleeps while being held most of the day and will flash us an occasional smile if we are really good.

I posted a short recap of our Thanksgiving celebration on our Poling family blog. Fun times!!

Trick or Treat?

Our little chef and cupcake weren't too impressed with the concept of Halloween just yet. We got Shelby all dressed up in her chef's apron and hat, only to ask her to leave the hat on about 58 billion times. She finally cooperated...on November 4th! And, poor Haley just wanted the darn cherry on top of head off, ASAP. Wendy Poling made her adorable costume that I hope she will appreciate some day. Both of their attitudes made it hard to get a cute photo.

October 31st, 2009 at our house started off with some old fashioned pumpkin carving. I left Bryon to the task this year, as mine in the past have been a dismal failure. His engineering skills and Shelby's digging-out-the-innards skills made for an impressive Jack-O-Lantern at the Pfaff house. See for yourself!

As dusk approached, we decided to test the waters and take the girls trick-or-treating at the neighbors' houses. The last time I checked the Official Halloween Book O' Rules, leaving one's light one indicates that the little munchkins should come knock on your door. Am I right? Apparently, our neighbors decided to leave their lights on but not answer the door. What is that about?? Shelby was so confused as to why she was running around the neighborhood with an empty bag...and why we wouldn't shut up about the hat!

After giving up on any candy, we settled in for the night to pass out our own. Shelby and Daddy had a BLAST! Everytime the doorbell rang, she would run point to the candy bowl and squeal at the door. She loved seeing all the kids and helping her dad. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for next year!

Our Big Weekend

After two and a half years of 12-hour days, Bryon's project is wrapping up. This week marked the grand opening of both the Wyly theater and the Winspear Opera House. All of the big donors finally got to see what their money was being used for. And, boy, was it spectacular! We were lucky enough to get tickets to any of the events, so we went to the opening of the Wyly on Friday night and the Winspear on Saturday night.

Where to begin? It was all so spectacular. The Wyly Theater is amazing. I felt like I was at the theater in New York, only ultra-modern and no tourists. I hope to see more productions in the future. Everything is very sleek and polished, and it was so cool to have Bryon as my date to tell me all the capabilities of the building. At the end of the performance, all of the "walls" seemed to rise to the sky revealing the huge windows to downtown Dallas. We could see the traffic going by outside. It was so glamourous! After the production, a few of Bryon's coworkers went on stage to check things out. I had them snap my picture at the piano so I could say I had performed at the Wyly...ah, one of these days!

Saturday night was a huge black-tie affair. I keep telling everyone I felt like I was at the Oscars, with all the media, ball gowns, and glitz. After seeing my favorite performer, Kristen Chenoweth, and several other acts, there was a huge reception outside, catered by the one and only Wolfgang Puck. Of course, I had to take pictures of the food!

After stuffing our faces with duck, buffalo, tuna, mac and cheese (gourmet of course!), and shrimp, we ventured back over to the Wyly. It had been converted into a night club, with furnishings by Neiman Marcus. I couldn't help but stare at all the jewelry and dresses. Here we are posing in the Wyly after a long night:

Congratulations, Bryon, on a spectacular job!

Innocent until proven guilty! Part 2

Someone really loves her freedom while mom is busy feeding the baby! What trouble is she going to get into next?

And, just to keep things equal, here is the daily picture of Haley. She is finally opening her eyes long enough to snap a picture of her beautiful baby blues!

Innocent until proven guilty!

Busted! She knows she is in trouble but is still proud of herself for finding a little leverage to dig through the drawers.

To My Dearest Shelby

Shelby,

You have no idea how much fun it is to watch you play. You don't know it, but I secretly watch you as you are busy tinkering with your Little People Schoolhouse or climbing on your slide. You can spend an hour on getting things just in the right spot that you want. It is so cute! Soon enough, you will have a little playmate to teach all of your tricks. I can already picture you bossing Haley around just like I used to do to my little sister. I just hope you are nicer to Haley than I was to Molly!

Your Peeping Tom,

Mom

A Follow-Up to Bone Marrow Transplant

As a follow-up to this post, please go to www.bethematch.org and sign up to donate bone marrow. I finally enrolled, and it couldn't have been easier. Filling out the forms took MAYBE 5 minutes, and the swab collection kit came in the mail in less than 3 days. As scared of needles as I am, I still really hope to be a match for someone.